Bob Slamal has attended Southern California’s fly-fishing show as a demonstrator, speaker and exhibitor.

Slamal will be at this weekend’s show at the Pasadena Convention Center as an inventor. He will be showcasing his new rod, developed specifically for bass angling off the fly.

Eleven years after developing a fly known as Bob’s White Fly, he has worked with fly-fish manufacturer Sage to develop the bass-specific rod. It was introduced in December.

“I went to them with my idea and the first time I hooked a fish, the rod exploded,” Slamal said. “They said that’s the research and development part and that’s why it was still a prototype.”

Slamal’s desire was based on a non-fly bass fishing friend, who wanted him as a tournament partner. The problem is that most bass associations don’t allow for rods longer than 8 feet. So Slamal began investigating the situation a couple of years ago. He and his partner finished second and third in club tournaments with that prototype rod, and Slamal said that he caught more fish with his new rod than his partner.

“We’ve introduced a new way of angling in the fly business,” Slamal said. “A way to fly-fish specifically for bass. It’s short and powerful.”

Slamal will be among numerous exhibitors at the show that targets more than trout; although there will be plenty of trout-specific experts in attendance.

Pasadena native Maggie Merriman, A.K. Best, Ed Engle, Brad and Tyler Befus, Bill Blackstone, Barry Beck, Joe Humphreys, Lori Ann Murphy and Conway Bowman will be among the featured demonstrators and instructors. They will show how to tie flies, show casting techniques and talk about their specialties, such as fly-fishing for shark, along streams, in lakes and destination fishing, including the Northwest, Alaska, Baja California and the Bahamas.

There will be audio-visual presentations and new products. Youths will take part in fly-tying sessions.

Slamal likes to tie on his own white flies – which he developed 11 years ago and imitates shad – but he said crankbaits, spinners or any type of bait can be used on the new rod.

“The secret to fishing has always been to get the line and bait to the right depth,” he said. “That’s the real trick. With a sinking line, you can get it there. Once you’re at the right depth, the fish are going to strike at it.”

Sage fixed that exploding problem. The tippet is loose and the base as firm as a bass rod.

“In a 20 mph wind, I can toss it 70 feet into the wind,” he said.

“It’s a rocket. Everybody who has tested it loves it.”

No angler on the top-tier BassMaster or FLW circuits uses the rod. BassMaster anglers cannot use it, but it is a legal tool for FLW anglers. Slamal fishes the rod just like a bass-rod specific angler would, and he says he knows of no pro who uses a fly rod in tournaments.

“If you throw a turtle pattern, the bass not only kill it, they just attack it,” Slamal said. “I went after bass because it was something totally different.”

Slamal grew up in San Bernardino and San Diego. He said he first began fly-fishing for bass as a college student in the San Diego River. He said he would go at night, after classes, fishing next to Qualcomm Stadium (then Jack Murphy Stadium), using the lights of the stadium to illuminate his pursuit.

Nowadays, Slamal, who has been guiding for 17 years, fishes almost exclusively at Lake Skinner, although he says he also fishes at Diamond Valley and Silverwood.

“There’s no traffic at Skinner at all,” he said. “When they installed the new (four-stroke) motor regs, all the retired anglers left and the bass nuts went to Diamond Valley. The bass has been good, but the striper is excellent. I’m averaging 2½ to 3 pounds per striper.”

His white fly can catch bass, striper, crappie, catfish and trout.

“Anywhere where there are shad, this will catch them,” he said. “I’ve never been skunked.”